


The Fifth Call

by AlwaysMyChoices



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Worry, missed calls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-10 12:47:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19905949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlwaysMyChoices/pseuds/AlwaysMyChoices
Summary: After a train derails in Boston, Charlie just wants to get Ethan on the phone...(set before the hearing and after Ethan left Edenbrook)





	The Fifth Call

_Ring. Ring. Ring._ “This is Dr. Ethan Ramsey. Please leave a name and number-“

_Fuck. Voicemail, again._

Charlie disconnected the call, falling deeper into the plastic, waiting room chair. This was her fourth try to call Ethan, and it was just as unsuccessful as the last. It had taken her hours to dial his number the first time, terrified to press call and face him after days of not speaking. When Ethan left Edenbrook, he left Charlie, too. He walked right past her pleading attempts to get him to stay, and the rejection lingered.

But it had been days since she’d heard from him, and after tonight, she just needed to hear his voice.

Charlie knew he wasn’t on the subway. Even if he did take the subway (which was unproven as far as Charlie was concerned), he wasn’t on the list of incoming patients for Edenbrook or nearby hospitals. Even with limited information about his new life without Edenbrook, Charlie concluded that he was in no immediate physical danger, and that should have been enough to make her give up when he didn’t answer the first time. His phone was still on if it was ringing, and when he didn’t return the call within his usual thirty minutes, he must have made the conscious decision to not answer her.

But she called the second time – just to see if he would answer. She convinced herself that her deductions were unproven until she heard his voice.

By the third call, Charlie admitted that she wasn’t selflessly checking in on his wellbeing.

And by the fourth call, Charlie was forced to recognize that she wasn’t calling just for him. She was calling because she missed that asshole and _needed_ him tonight. He was her mentor, and he’d abandoned her to a hospital that regarded her as a murderer. She’d done surgery on one of her own best friends, someone she cared for deeply, and she watched the hours tick by with no assurance that he would ever wake up again. And fuck, she _missed him_. She wanted to tell him everything that happened with Landry and the subway patients. More than ever, Charlie wanted to stand beneath his critical eye and see approval in his smile.

Would there be a fifth call?

Charlie’s hand hovered over the “call” button, fighting her inner desire to blow up his phone until he was forced to answer or his battery gave out.

Instead, she dropped her phone to the table, letting the disappointment swallow her whole as she finally gave up on calling Ethan.

The clock in front of her chimed with a new hour, and Charlie rubbed her eyes, realizing she’d stayed in the hospital until two am. She couldn’t fathom facing Landry tonight, and she’d already received a text from Elijah letting her know that Landry had locked himself in his room to avoid everyone’s wrath as he packed his things. Even then, running into him was too high of a risk to return to her apartment, and she was too tired to walk there anyway. Deciding to stay in the on-call room for the night, Charlie collected her things from the hospital cafeteria and made her way through the hospital.

The phones at the nurses’ station were ringing off the hook as family members called to inquire about missing relatives. Danny waved weakly from his spot, looking even more exhausted than Charlie. A patient was buzzing him for attention while more and more calls seemed to fill the lines.

Noting he was overwhelmed, Charlie stepped up to him. “I’ll take the calls for a little while. You can handle the patients,” she offered.

“Are you sure?” Danny asked, obviously hoping she was so that he could escape the call desk for a few moments.

“Of course, you deserve a break,” Charlie agreed, taking the phone from Danny’s hand as he raced off to the patient.

After locating the document with all of the information about patients that could be given to the public, Charlie pressed the button to take a waiting call.

“Hello, I’m looking to see if a friend of mine has been admitted,” the voice on the other end of the line seemed familiar, but through her sleep deprivation, Charlie couldn’t place it.

“Yes, sir. What’s the name?” she asked politely.

“Charlie Greene – or Dr. Charlotte Greene, I suppose.”

Charlie’s heart stopped as she suddenly placed the voice. _Ethan_.

There was a long pause as Charlie tried to process what was happening, and Ethan cleared his throat on the other end, obviously impatient.

“Um, no, she’s not a patient,” Charlie stuttered, “Dr. Greene was on her shift at the time of the accident.”

There was a sigh of relief on the other side of the call, followed by a mumbled, “Thank God.”

“Should I leave a message with Dr. Greene?” Charlie held her breath, hoping for something out.

“Uh… yes, please tell her she did an excellent job and that I’m very sorry and that…” Ethan paused, and after a moment, he changed his mind, “Actually, never mind. I’m sure the hospital is very busy tonight. Thank you again for the information.”

“Of course, sir,” Charlie swallowed her disappointment, “Goodnight.”

And then the line went dead.

Charlie felt like the air had been knocked out of her chest, and she held onto the receiver until her fingers turned white as if he would suddenly be on the line again.

_Why didn’t you say something?_ She questioned herself, replaying the conversation over and over again in her head.

He cares…

But not enough to take a phone call.

“Charlie, is everything okay?” Danny’s voice knocked her back into reality, and Charlie nearly dropped the phone out of surprise.

“Yeah, sorry,” she stood a little too quickly, returning the receiver to the base, “I’m just really tired. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Danny nodded, obviously unsure, “Just let me know if you need anything. You did a great job today.”

“Thanks, Danny,” Charlie squeezed his shoulder as she left the nurses station, mumbling some goodnights to people on her way.

That night, she crammed into the uncomfortable on-call bed and tried to sleep, but all she could think about was Ethan Ramsey and the fifth call.

And far away, Ramsey stayed by the phone, searching for a voicemail as he was desperate to hear Charlie’s voice again, but she never left one. He almost called her back just to make sure that she was okay, but he stopped himself. It was time for him to step away, even if it was the last thing he wanted to do.


End file.
